Paging through Flour Water Salt Yeast for the first time was both inspiring and daunting. Inspiring because most of the recipes in the book are made with only the four ingredients in the title. Daunting because the book is brimming with mouth-watering images of deep-brown, flour-speckled loaves of bread, and pizzas with poofy, char-spotted edges surrounding molten, cheese-covered centers. I was excited to start making dough, but I had some concerns. Could such impossibly beautiful loaves and perfect pizzas be created in a home kitchen? Could delicious bread really be created from the four humble ingredients that form the book's title? I was ready to find out. Almost.

The book is arranged into four main sections: "The Principles of Artisan Bread," "Basic Bread Recipes," "Levain Bread Recipes," and "Pizza Recipes." I started by reading the principles section, and found it to be informative and interesting. The second chapter, entitled “Eight Details for Great Bread and Pizza” is invaluable. It gives reason for the persnickety level of detail found in the recipes, as well as the purpose behind the various steps in the dough-making process. It also has a troubleshooting section for when problems inevitably arise. Once I felt well-grounded in the science behind the recipes, I was ready to actually bake bread.

I started with the basic Overnight White Bread, and making the dough by hand was simple yet gratifying. Forkish employs several somewhat unusual techniques, like the “pincer method” for mixing the dough, and “folding” for both mixing the dough and helping it to develop its structure. The book presents clearly written directions as well as photo tutorials for each process, and following in the footsteps of Jim Lahey (My Bread) and Chad Robertson (Tartine Bread), the loaves are baked in preheated Dutch ovens. This allows the bread to create its own steam, which makes a crispy crust. After mixing, folding, rising, shaping, proofing, and an unbearably long 30 minutes of blind anticipation, it was time to remove the lid. Huzzah! The bread had risen nicely; the top spanned with wide, shallow fissures. After a bit more time in the oven, the exterior became nut-brown and flecked with patches of flour. It was a photo from the book brought to life. I ate the first slice plain, reveling in the crisp crust, chewy interior, and clean, yeasty flavor. I was elated! I had succeeded in making a picture-perfect loaf of bread, one with a depth of flavor that somehow exceeded its four simple ingredients.

Over the next several weeks I became a bit obsessed with the book, and made white breads using biga and poolish methods to preferment part of the dough, which adds complexity of flavor and helps the bread keep longer. My favorite white bread was the “palate-sparkling, almost buttery-flavored” White Bread with Poolish, but the slightly earthy White Bread with 80% Biga was also delicious. Next up, a levain culture to use in sourdough breads. I used it to make the breathtakingly gorgeous Walnut Levain, dotted with nuts and streaked purple throughout. Then I used it to make Pain Au Bacon -- my only recipe failure –- which was overly dense but still deliciously tangy and savory. But the troubleshooting section in the book had answers; I rectified my missteps and was able to create a sublime vegetarian version of the same bread using green olives and olive oil instead of bacon and bacon fat.

I postponed the final portion of the book until I was very comfortable with making dough. I take pizza seriously, and am a wood-oven, thin-crust pizza junkie. I chose to make the Overnight Pizza Dough with Poolish. With it, I first made salami pizza on a baking stone, and it was the closest to wood-oven pizza I've ever made at home. The edges were poofy with brown spots and a small amount of char, the crust crisp but still a bit chewy. It was downright fantastic! Next I made iron skillet pizza with red grapes, mozzarella, and salami, which had a thicker, chewier crust perfect for heavier toppings. I used the remaining dough to make a thick-crusted focaccia with a perfectly chewy, open texture and a rich, buttery flavor. Overall I was so pleased with the dough that it will be hard to convince me to try another recipe.

I am grateful I tested Flour Water Salt Yeast. The knowledge and experience I gained while working though the book have markedly improved my bread and pizza making. The book is relevant for a wide range of skill levels: novice bakers will be able to start with the basic doughs, while experienced bakers will be able to push their boundaries to the point of being able to create their own recipes. With its largely approachable techniques and its artisan-caliber results, this book deserves a spot in any home kitchen. And now you'll have to excuse me; I need to go bake some bread.

I am an amateur baker and cake decorator. I enjoy cooking, as well as eating and feeding others. I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with my husband and our menagerie. I enjoy outdoor activities including hiking, mushroom hunting, tide pooling, beach combing, and snowboarding.

I couldn't agree with this review more. I'm obsessed with this book for all the same reasons. I learned about this book while taking an Ancient Rye Bread class at the Stone Turtle Baking school here in Maine. The owner/teacher of the school has taught for King Arthur for 30 years and could not say enough great things about this book. Nothing beats hot crackling bread out of the oven when your guest arrive for dinner. Eat bread!

I live in Portland, where Ken Forkish has a bakery and pizza restaurant. I can't wait to get my hands on this book which I only just learned about. Ken's bread is the best I've ever had, hands down, crusty and chewy and perfect. His pizza is equally delicious! Thanks for the review, now I know what to expect and look forward to

This book has transformed my bread baking! I don't pretend to be a baker or chef but I've baked my own bread on and off for 25 years or so. I've used conventional methods and/or bread machine up until I bought this book, but the bread from this book is fantastic. I highly recommend it. I just don't like the flavor or texture as well of other breads anymore. :-)

Great review HLA! This really inspires me to continue exploring bread making. Would you recommend this book for baking with whole grains? I have a steady supply of locally grown whole wheat and rye flour from a CSA. I've been experimenting with recipes from Peter Reinhart's "Whole Grain Breads", but would like to try others as well.

There aren't any 100% whole grain breads in the book, but there are blends using from 40 to 75% whole wheat flour as well as a few breads containing smaller amounts of rye flour, wheat germ, and wheat bran.

Great review, Sara! I love baking yeast breads of all kinds, there is just something about the feel of the dough, the kneading, shaping, creating, slowing down, waiting for it to rise…finally getting it into the oven, smelling the aroma throughout the kitchen and at last feeling the hot loaf fresh out of the oven, tapping it, tasting, sharing a fresh slice with others…it is all fun and for me somewhat therapeutic. Reading about your fun baking through this book has inspired me to buy another bread book, to experiment, to and take advantage of the equipment I have on hand…first stop = Pain Au Bacon!

It takes 5 days to build the levain from scratch, so you may as well explore some of the non-levain breads while you're waiting! I recently made the Harvest Bread with Poolish that contains a little wheat germ and bran -- it's got a really great flavor.

Thanks for the review. I live down the street from Ken's bakery and wondered if I ever could make similar delicious loaves. Bought the book; started, like you, with the overnight bread; and it was outstanding. I've been told, "Why make it when you have Ken's in the neighborhood?" But, there is something uniquely satisfying about making your own bread. Your review will encourage me to march through the rest of the book!

There really is something immensely satisfying about making your own bread -- from the feel of the flour on your fingers to the whispery crackling noises the bread makes as it's cooling. I will say I'm more than slightly jealous of your proximity to Ken's!

It is a bit intimidating at first, but definitely manageable! The hardest part is figuring out what will work for your schedule with the fermenting and proofing times. Forkish also has demonstration videos at the Ken's Artisan website: http://kensartisan.com...

That's a good point AJ! Forkish used 4 quart ovens, but states about the 5 quart "...But you'll still get good bread, so why not take advantage of equipment you already have?" I used a 3.5 quart Dutch oven w/o any problem. If you need to invest in a Dutch oven the Lodge Cast Iron 4 qt. can be found for about $45 on Amazon.com, and was one of the ovens Forkish used for testing his recipes. In my mind the bread you can make will be worth the investment, but I don't claim to be unbiased!!

Fantastic review, reading it prompts me to buy the book and start making the bread right away. So often buying a cookbook can be a shot in the dark and reading a review from a trusted source is invaluable. I am going to be buying cookbooks this weekend for sure.